Unlike recent national shortages of baby formula and contrast dye, there isn't data tracking the absence of tampons — but consumers are still struggling to find them.
Tampon suppliers and shoppers have grappled with the strain for weeks, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times.
So far this year, two key ingredients for tampons are facing steep inflated prices, with plastic surging 9.5 percent and cotton 40 percent.
Procter & Gamble, which manufactures Tampax, said it is more difficult to acquire these materials after a nearly 8 percent hike in sales since 2020. Andre Schulten, P&G's CFO, said on a recent earnings call that the situation is "costly and highly volatile," according to the Times.
With a shorter supply of the menstrual product, the cost for a box of tampons rose 10 percent this past year, according to the Post.